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Fantasy Racing Darkhorse Picks: 2011 Bank of America 500

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
Josh Lobdel		Kasey Kahne	4	11.19
Jerry Lagger	One and Done Game Winner	Joey Logano	12	15.55
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Kasey Kahne	4	17.16
Steve Wronkowicz	On Pit Row	Paul Menard	17	16.10
Eric McClung	KFFL	David Ragan	11	15.81
Eric McGuire	free agent	Mark Martin	37	15.84
Dan Beaver	Fantasy Racing Games	Kasey Kahne	4	15.90
Matt Mercer	On Pit Row	Kasey Kahne	4	13.52
Adam Ansell	Roto Experts	no pick	44
Chris Leone	On Pit Row	Jamie McMurray	27	20.58
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Mark Martin	37	17.84
CharlieTurner	On Pit Row	Kasey Kahne	4	11.42
Jordan McAbee	On Pit Row	Kasey Kahne	4	14.26
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Clint Bowyer	24	15.35
James Jones	On Pit Row	Greg Biffle	15	13.32
Mike Wells	Racing4Glory.com	Kasey Kahne	4	12.84
Darren Fauth	FantasyRacingCheatSheet	Greg Biffle	15	14.35
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Kasey Kahne	4	16.13
Charles Rantz	ifantasyrace.com	Kasey Kahne	4	14.61

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Experts Picks: 2011 Bank of America 500

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
Josh Lobdell		Carl Edwards	3	12.71
Jerry Lagger	One and Done Game Winner	Jimmie Johnson	34	13.71
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Matt Kenseth	1	12.32
Steve Wronkowicz	On Pit Row	Tony Stewart	8	12.97
Eric McClung	KFFL	Jimmie Johnson	34	13.97
Eric McGuire	free agent	Jimmie Johnson	34	15.45
Dan Beaver	Fantasy Racing Games	Jimmie Johnson	34	13.29
Matt Mercer	On Pit Row	Matt Kenseth	1	14.97
Adam Ansell	Roto Experts	no pick	44
Chris Leone	On Pit Row	Dale Earnhardt Jr	19	11.52
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Jimmie Johnson	34	13.48
CharlieTurner	On Pit Row	Jimmie Johnson	34	14.68
Jordan McAbee	On Pit Row	Jimmie Johnson	34	12.74
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Brad Keselowski	16	11.42
James Jones	On Pit Row	Kyle Busch	2	11.74
Mike Wells	Racing4Glory.com	Jimmie Johnson	34	12.74
Darren Fauth	FantasyRacingCheatSheet	Jimmie Johnson	34	9.94
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Jimmie Johnson	34	12.55
Charles Rantz	ifantasyrace.com	Jimmie Johnson	34	14.52

Fantasy NASCAR Preview: Charlotte 2 - Bank Of America 500

Last weekend Jimmie Johnson reminded all of us why he is a five-time champion, and this week the Sprint Cup Series rolls into Charlotte Motor Speedway, a track that “The Champ” has, for lack of a better term, basically dominated at since day one. The Bank of America 500 will be the final Saturday night race of this 2011 season, and hopefully we won’t get charged a fee to watch it. Last weekend–as I said in my Preview–was a snooze-fest, and don’t be surprised if this race (although it is under the lights, so that adds some excitement) is the same. Charlotte is a 1.5-mile race track with 24-degree banking in the turns. With 500 miles set to be ran, that means the cars will make at least 334 laps around this track on Saturday.

During The Last Race At Charlotte…NASCAR’s golden child was leading at end but ran out of fuel, allowing Kevin Harvick to grab the win in the Coca Cola 600. David Ragan ended up 2nd in that race, followed by Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, and A.J. Allmendinger, who started 2nd. The top five finishers of that race led a combined 17 laps out of the 402 ran.

Top Fifteen Ranking Entering The Bank Of America 500:
*Chase participants are marked in red*

1. Jimmie Johnson - As “Five Time” was absolutely dominating the field on Sunday, it reminded me of one thing that his crew chief, Chad Knaus, said earlier in the year: they were saving their good cars until the Chase. That’s bad news because it could be another Jimmie Johnson show in Charlotte on Saturday night. In twenty career starts, JJ has accumulated six visits to victory lane and ten top 5s. He has led more laps here (1,385) than anyone in the series here (even more than Bill Elliott, who has 62 starts at this track) and has an average finish of 10.8. Johnson only has one finish better than 28th in the last three points-paying Charlotte races, but don’t let that bother you: it’s a virtual guarantee that the #48 Chevrolet will be up front early and often on Saturday night under the lights.

2. Kyle Busch - Guess who has the best average driver rating at Charlotte over the past five races over everyone else in the series (even Jimmie Johnson)? You guessed it: “Rowdy” Busch. Although Kyle has never won at Charlotte Motor Speedway, I’m sure that will change eventually, and I’m willing to bet it will be sooner rather than later. In the 2010 races at this track, Busch led a combined 253 laps and ended up with 2nd and 3rd-place finishes. In this year’s Coca Cola 600, “Shrub” started 21st but ended up leading 55 laps before an accident ended his night and he finished 32nd. Before that race, though, Busch had a streak of seven top 10s here. NASCAR’s most hated driver needs a good run on Saturday if he wants to stay in the championship hunt, and I think Kyle Busch will be a contender by the end of the night.

3. Carl Edwards - In the last two weeks, we have seen Carl Edwards and the #99 team hurdle some major roadblocks and still end up with top 5 finishes. Just imagine what Cousin Carl is capable of without having some sort of problem during the race. Edwards now has seven straight top 10s in the Sprint Cup Series and is coming into the track that he owns the 3rd-best average finish of anyone in the series with more than one start (13.3). As you probably remember, Edwards won the All-Star race earlier this season and led 61 laps in the Coca Cola 600 but finished a disappointing 16th despite having the fourth-best driver rating in the race. Carl hasn’t had a top 10 at Charlotte in the last four races here but I expect that to change on Saturday.

4. Matt Kenseth - I didn’t really want to rank Kenseth this high going into the weekend–due to the fact of his fading at the end of the intermediate races this year–but there simply isn’t any other driver worthy of the #4 spot going into Saturday night’s race. Matt has made twenty-four starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway and has finished in the top 10 in exactly half of them (including one victory back in 2000). He finished 14th here in this year’s Coca Cola 600 but Kenseth led 103 of the 402 laps and had the best driver rating (124.4) in the race. In the last two October races at Charlotte, Kenseth has finished 2nd and 6th.

5. Kurt Busch - Last week’s 13th-place finish at Kansas is actually Kurt’s worst finish on the intermediate tri-oval race tracks this season. Yeah, the Double Deuce has been fast this year and I expect this team to restart their ways on Saturday night. Busch won the 2010 Coca Cola 600 and after his 4th-place finish in this year’s, he now has three top 10s in the last four Charlotte points-paying races. Kurt’s career average finish of 19.7 isn’t anything great, but it’s hard to go against a team that has been one of the best on this type of track this season.

6. Kevin Harvick - Harvick has only finished in the top 10 in 23.8% of his Charlotte starts, but don’t let that statistic keep you from picking him this weekend: in the last three points-paying races here, “Happy” has grabbed a win and hasn’t finished worse than 11th. This team wasn’t great on the tri-oval intermediate tracks earlier in the season, but in the last three (Atlanta, Chicago, and Kansas), Harvick hasn’t finished worse than 7th. I don’t think he has a shot at another win this weekend, but if fuel mileage comes into effect you never know.

7. Kasey Kahne - I personally am not on the Kasey Kahne bandwagon, but I feel like his recent performances (two straight top 5s) and his history at Charlotte (average finish of 14.1) earns him the #7 spot in my rankings this week. Believe it or not, Kahne has three victories at this race track and it is (statistically) his best on the circuit. He hasn’t had a top 10 here in the last three points-paying events, but from 2007 to 2009 Kasey pulled off five straight top 10 finishes here and three of them were top 5s. This Toyota has pretty much been a teens car on the intermediates this season but you know how much I like momentum…

8. Brad Keselowski - If BK has another solid run Saturday night, you can officially put my on the bandwagon. I’m 90% on right now and I seriously think he has a shot at the championship this year (I’ve been called crazy before). “Bad Brad” started on the pole in the Coca Cola 600 in May, but he did have the 8th-best driver rating in that race, and that race was before he caught on fire and raced his way into the Chase. Right now, Keselowski is 11 points out of the point lead, and if he can have a good run at Charlotte this weekend, Brad should be licking his chops for the next race on the schedule: Talladega, where he won at in 2009. I’m just saying…

9. Jeff Gordon - First off: how many times does Jeff Gordon blow up? I personally think his championship chances are now finished, but you know Jeff will be driving his ass off these weekend to try and get back in the hunt. In thirty-seven career starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Gordon has visited victory lane five times and owns twenty top 10 finishes (sixteen of those being top 5s). This team struggled earlier in the season at these tri-oval intermediates, though, and now it looks like they may be heading into another slump on these tracks, with their 24th-place finish at Chicago and last week’s 34th-place run at Kansas. In the last two Charlotte races, Gordon has finished 20th and 23rd, so if he doesn’t blow you away in practice this week, you may be better off using a different driver. Be sure to check out what I think of each Chaser as well as some other drivers over at ifantasyrace.com once Happy Hour is over this weekend.

10. Denny Hamlin - Here’s another driver that I’m not real sure what to think of going into the weekend, but I’m sure I’ll have a better judgment of Hamlin once qualifying and practice is overwith this week. Denny has the fourth-best average driver rating here over the last five races and has finished 11th or better in three of them. He has just one top 5 in twelve career starts, though, and this team just seems off in this year’s Chase. If he qualifies bad and doesn’t look awesome in practice, avoid Denny Hamlin like the plague on Saturday.

11. Mark Martin - Mark is starting to become a solid pick at the intermediate tracks, so pick him while he’s hot. After last week’s 10th-place finish at Kansas, Martin now has three top 10s in the last five Sprint Cup races and has just one finish outside of the top 20 since Bristol in late August. In his fifty-three starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Mark Martin has accumulated twenty-three top 10s and four victories. However, this is his fourth-worst track on the circuit, believe it or not. I won’t let that keep me from picking Martin, though: in the last nine points-paying races at Charlotte, Martin has just one finish worse than 17th.

12. Greg Biffle - Well, what do you know, Biffle finally put together an entire race at a tri-oval intermediate track (last week’s 8th at Kansas was his first finish better than 10th since his 4th-place finish at Texas in April). The Biff isn’t great at Charlotte (just six top 10s in seventeen career starts) but he did finish 5th in this race last season and has just one finish outside of the top 20 in the last seven points-paying races here. In this season’s Coca Cola 600, Greg led 50 laps and had the seventh-best driver rating but ended up finishing 13th.

13. David Ragan - Remember what I say: forget quickly when it comes to fantasy racing. I–along with many others–thought that Ragan had a great car in Kansas last Sunday, but he disappointed his fantasy owners with a 20th-place finish. I expect this team to rebound on Saturday night, though, and it seems like that always happens with Ragan. He finished 2nd here in the Coca Cola 600 but David also had the third-best driver rating in that race, so it’s not like he lucked into the finish. That makes it two straight top 10s for Ragan at Charlotte and don’t forget that he pretty much dominated The Sprint Showdown in May.

14. David Reutimann - Believe it or not, in the last five points-paying races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, David Reutimann has the fifth-best average driver rating (97.1), the second-best average finish (7.8), and hasn’t finished worse than 15th. As you may recall, Reutty won the rain-shortened Coca Cola 600 in 2009 but with his 9th-place effort here in May, as well as the two top 10s last season, Reutimann is proving that that win wasn’t a fluke. His career average finish here in nine races is 14.7, which is actually better than Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, and many others. As you know, though, picking the #00 Toyota is as risky as it comes: in the last three tri-oval intermediate races (Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas), Reutimann has finished 31st, 32nd, and 35th, respectively. He did finish 2nd to Kyle Busch at Kentucky in July, though.

15. Marcos Ambrose - Did you know that Ambrose has two straight top 10s now after his 9th-place finish at Kansas last week? I just noticed, too. The Tasmanian may be a solid fantasy sleeper this weekend, too. He led 18 laps and finished 6th here last May and in this race last season, Ambrose started 14th and finished 16th.

Those To Avoid Entering The Bank Of America 500:

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - His Chase chances are done, and Junior’ss run here in the Coca Cola 600 came while he was actually running like a championship-caliber driver. Before he finished 7th here in May, Earnhardt hadn’t had a top 20 in five-straight points-paying race at Charlotte. At best you’re looking at a teens finish from the #88 this weekend.

Ryan Newman - It seems like an underdog shows up just about at every race in Charlotte and that means I’m going to go away from picking the front-runners. Even if that wasn’t the case, though, I’d stay away from Newman this weekend. He has won the pole nine times (seriously) in twenty-one starts here, but has an awful average finish of 20.9 and just seven top 10s to show for it. In the last eleven points-paying races at Charlotte, “The Rocketman” has just two top 10s. After last weekend’s race in Kansas, Newman now has three straight finishes of 18th or worse, and don’t be surprised if he makes it four straight after Saturday.

A.J. Allmendinger - He may have had a good run here in May, but abnormalities do happen in NASCAR, but lightning typically doesn’t strike twice. After qualifying 2nd in the aforementioned race, that made two straight top 3 starts for Allmendinger at this race track. But the points aren’t given out for qualifying. That 5th-place run in the Coca Cola 600 has been A.J.’s only top 10 in nine career starts at Charlotte, and more than half of the time here he finishes outside of the top 20.

Fantasy NASCAR Preview: Charlotte - Coca Cola 600

The schedule this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway is finally back to normal–in my mind at least. There will be a practice session held on Thursday afternoon and qualifying will be held later that night. Friday will be an off-day for the drivers, but Saturday they will get two practice sessions to perfect their cars for the big race on Sunday night. The Coca Cola 600 is the longest race (in terms of mileage) for the 2011 season, and Charlotte is definitely known for producing some very exciting racing.

During The Last Points-Paying Race At Charlotte…Kyle Busch led 217 laps but it was Jamie McMurray crossing the finish line first. Busch went on to follow him, and Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, and Greg Biffle rounded out the top five. In last year’s spring race (the 2010 Coca Cola 600), the elder Busch brother (Kurt) led 252 laps after starting second and picked up his second–and ultimately final–win of the season. McMurray finished 2nd in that race, while Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, and David Reutimann closed out the top five. McMurray, Kyle Busch, David Reutimann, and Matt Kenseth were the only drivers to post top ten finishes in both races at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the two points-paying races in 2010. In last weekend’s All-Star Race, Carl Edwards won the $1 million dollar prize followed by Kyle Busch, David Reutimann, Tony Stewart, and Greg Biffle.

My Recommendation To Fantasy Racers…Now that the schedule is back to normal, I would put a lot of emphasis on average practice speeds and ten-lap averages during the final two sessions to determine your rosters. Here’s how each driver did in practice last fall at Charlotte and how they finished. Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards were both two of the fastest in average speed for the recent All-Star race, and one went on to win the race (Edwards) while Biffle finished 5th. Tony Stewart had the best ten-lap average during the All-Star practice and wound up finishing a solid 4th. Be sure to check out my practice breakdown over on www.ifantasyrace.com this week, as it will be more telling as to who has a good car than the recent ones have.

Top Fifteen Ranking Entering The Coca Cola 600:

1. Carl Edwards - Cousin Carl has been pretty much untouchable all season, and I don’t expect that to change this weekend. As you know, Edwards won the All-Star Race last weekend, and while he’s not stellar at Charlotte by any means, he does have an average finish of 11.3 in points-paying races here. He finished 3rd at Texas and won at Las Vegas, so expect Edwards to fight for the win on Sunday night, especially after not getting the finish he deserved at Dover.

2. Kyle Busch - “Rowdy” has never won at Charlotte–and that includes All-Star Races. He is, however, on a seven-race streak of top 10s in points paying races at this track, and the only reason his average career finish here is so low (15.2) is because he wasn’t very good at this track early in his Sprint Cup career. The race is 600 miles on Sunday night (and that doesn’t include practice), so Kyle better hope that the Gibbs engine problem is solved or he will severely disappoint fantasy owners on Sunday night. Busch finished 2nd to Edwards in the All-Star Race last weekend.

3. Matt Kenseth - Kenseth has four straight top 10s at Charlotte and I fully expect that streak to continue this weekend. He finished 6th in the All-Star Race (out of 21) and has a little momentum after “stealing” a win in Dover. His driver rating at Charlotte over the past two years is fourth-best in the series, so Kenseth isn’t getting good finishes here just by dumb luck. He won here in 2000 and has finished outside of the top twenty just 6 times in his 23 career starts at this track.

4. Jimmie Johnson -In the eight points-paying races at Charlotte from 2003 to 2006, “Five Time” finished in the top three in every single race. His career average finish here is right around 9th and he owns six wins at this track. You probably wonder why–with those numbers–Jimmie isn’t ranked number one this week. Well, he didn’t run well at all in the All-Star Race (11th-place finish), and while I know that that race doesn’t particularly translate to how someone will run during the actual race, it’s still the same track. There has never been a points-paying race at Charlotte–that Johnson participated in–that he didn’t lead a lap, so expect JJ to challenge for the lead at least once on Sunday night.

5. Greg Biffle - Load up on the Roush Fords this weekend! They “Big Three” in that stable all looked great in the All-Star Race, and “The Biff” ended up 4th after starting 3rd. His career average finish at Charlotte is 15.5 and he finished 4th at Texas in April. Greg has never won here, but he does have six top 10s in his 16 career starts at this track. He’s been pretty good for the entire season this year, and if you take away some of the problems they had (like the fuel issue at Vegas), could easily be in the top eight in points.

6. Kasey Kahne - Kahne is either going to challenge for a top five on Sunday night, or he’s going to finish in the 30s. I don’t particularly like Red Bull Racing at Charlotte, but his teammate has found some success in that equipment. Kahne’s average finish at Charlotte is right around 13th and he won both races here in 2006. As long as his equipment holds up and nothing crazy happens to the #4 Toyota on Sunday night, a good finish should be expected.

7. Tony Stewart - It’s almost summer, and that’s the time when “Smoke” really starts running well. He finished a respectable 4th in the All-Star Race last weekend, and Tony hasn’t posted a top ten finish in the last six points-paying races at Charlotte, I could easily see that changing this weekend. He has one win here–that came in 2003–and Stewart’s career average finish at this track is 12.2. Watch Stewart’s average speed during practice, as well as his ten-lap average. If he’s near the top in both of those, stick him on your roster.

8. Jeff Gordon - Gordon hasn’t had a top ten since Talladega, so this ranking may be a bit high. If he practices just decent or even below-average, avoid him this week. I don’t like how Gordon is running this season, and pretty much the only time I will take him is if he surprises me in practice. At Charlotte, Jeff has four top 10s in the last six races and owns a career average finish right around 15th–including five wins. In his twenty career top 10s at this track, sixteen have been top 5s, so expect a really strong run or a disappointing finish out of Gordon this weekend.

9. Denny Hamlin - Like I said before, the Gibbs stable better hope that their engines can last for the longest race of the season. Hamlin’s career average finish at Charlotte is 14.6 and he finished 4th here in the fall after ending up 18th in 2010’s Coca Cola 600. The former has been his best finish ever here (All-Star Race included), so don’t expect Hamlin to challenge for the win, but a top ten is possible. He ended up 7th in the All-Star Race last weekend out of 21.

10. Kevin Harvick - I really didn’t know how to rank Harvick this week, so this is probably going to be one of the drivers that will either go way up or way down when I make my post-qualifying predictions. He finished 11th and 8th in the two Charlotte races during the 2010 season, but that was last year when he was having a remarkable season overall. His career average finish at this track is 17.2, but you never know where “The Closer” will end up when it’s all said and done. He finished 9th in the All-Star Race out of 21.

11. Mark Martin - I’m still not liking how Martin is running this season, which is why I have him ranked 11th. He has been good here recently, with a worst finish of 17th over the past four races, but I just don’t see him doing anything spectacular on Sunday night. Martin’s average finish over the course of career at Charlotte Motor Speedway has been right around 15th, and I think he will finish between 11th and 15th on Sunday night.

12. Clint Bowyer - Bowyer finished 2nd at Texas in April and has two top 10s in his past three starts at Charlotte. His best finish here came in 2007 when he finished 2nd and Clint finished 2nd in the All-Star Race last weekend after starting 2nd. A finish between 12th and 15th is likely for Clint this weekend, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he cracked the top ten. He has six top 10s in the last seven races of the year, so he definitely has momentum on his side.

13. Joey Logano - Statistically, this is Logano’s best track, but I don’t think that he will finish as good as his career average finish (6.9). He has three top 10s in his four career starts at Charlotte with a worst finish of 13th, which came last year in the Coca Cola 600. With the way his season has been going, I probably won’t pick him this week, but you can’t go against Joey’s history at this track. He finished 5th in the Showdown last weekend.

14. Jamie McMurray - Jamie Mac’s season has to turn around eventually..right? He finished 2nd and 1st in the two Charlotte races last season, and while I don’t think that he will repeat anywhere near that on Sunday night, this is his third-best track on the circuit (with an average finish of 15th) and a top fifteen is definitely possible. Be sure to watch the #1 Chevy in practice. McMurray finished 17th in the All-Star Race out of 21.

15. David Reutimann - Statistically, this is Reutty’s best track, so he should definitely be in the back of your mind all week. He won 2009’s Coca Cola 600 (although it was rain-shortened) and hasn’t finished worse than 15th since then, including 5th and 9th-place efforts last season. He finished 3rd in the All-Star Race out of 21.

Underdogs Entering The Coca Cola 600:

Regan Smith - Statistically, Charlotte is Smith’s second-best track, and he hasn’t been too terrible for being a C-list driver in Yahoo! He finished 13th here last fall after a 19th-place effort in last year’s Coca Cola 600, and in Regan’s four career starts here, his worst finish has been 23rd.

Marcos Ambrose - Ambrose usually races very well in the Showdown races, but that success doesn’t translate to actual points-paying races. He finished 4th at Las Vegas and 6th at Texas, though, so make sure you watch the #9 Ford in practice.

David Ragan - I really like how Ragan is racing this season and his car looked great when he won the Showdown last weekend. The #6 Ford wound up 8th in the All-Star Race, ahead of Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, and Jimmie Johnson. In the last six points-paying races at this track, David has three top 10s and he finished 7th at Texas in April.

Brian Vickers - Vickers has two finishes of 5th at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but he’s pretty inconsistent–and Red Bull Racing is as well. He has three top tens in the last four races, and if he has a good car on Sunday night, Brian could make that four of five.

Those To Avoid Entering The Coca Cola 600:

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - Junior just isn’t very good at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He looked average in both the Showdown and the All-Star Race, and Little E hasn’t posted a top ten in a points-paying race here since early 2008. Over the past two years, drivers such as Casey Mears, Scott Speed, and Robby Gordon have better average finishes than Earnhardt at this track. Robby Gordon! Pass on the 88 this weekend. He finished 14th out of 21 in the All-Star Race.

Jeff Burton - In the last four points-paying races at Charlotte, Jeff Burton has posted three finishes in the 20s. Those finishes aren’t going to win you any fantasy championships, so stay away from him this week. I would say a mid-teens finish for Burton this week would be the best that he could do.

Kurt Busch - I understand that Kurt Busch was very solid here last spring, but it seems like week in and week out lately the “double deuce” isn’t running up to potential. He’s either really good here or really bad, but and the only way I would recommend him this week would be if he qualified up front and looked great in practice. Kurt finished 13th out of 21 in the All-Star Race.

Brad Keselowski - BK has had a couple of good races recently at Darlington and Dover, but I’m going to wait a while until I really believe that the chemistry between him and crew chief Paul Wolfe will translate to a bunch of success in the Sprint Cup Series. Keselowski finished 20th and 27th at the two Charlotte races in 2010. He finished 18th out of 21 in the All-Star Race.

Charlotte Scouting Report

How To Make A Good Informed Fantasy Pick For The Coca Cola 600:

1) Look at other similar track races that have been run this year. The two tracks in particular that I would encourage you to look back at are Texas and Las Vegas.

2) Past History at Charlotte is extremely important. This race is your Pocono primer in terms of race time length. Since it’s so long drivers and crew chiefs need to know how to make adjustments to their cars for the three phases of the race (daylight, dusk, and night). Looking at past history will help shed some light for you in terms of who you should pick and who you should avoid.

3) Practice is important at Charlotte but this week I don’t want to see my drivers running 100 miles in happy hour. What I want to get out of practice is a good ten lap average and hear the drivers are happy with their car. What I don’t want to see is them out on the track anymore then they have to.

4) What happened in the All-Star Race really shouldn’t be of that much concern to you. It’s not a typical race and most likely drivers were using setups that are radically different from what they would be using in the Coca Cola 600.

5) Qualifying is semi important at Charlotte. I wouldn’t say it’s a must but I certainly wouldn’t want to pick a driver who qualified back in the thirties unless it’s Jimmie Johnson who won from the farthest back starting position ever (37th).

Click HERE to check out my Charlotte Fantasy NASCAR Preview

Fast Five At Charlotte:

1) Matt Kenseth -The last time NASCAR visited a 1.5 mile tri-oval Kenseth was in victory lane. He’s starting to get back into his old “winning robot” ways. Kenseth doesn’t abuse his car and he’ll be around at the conclusion of NASCAR’s longest race. Kenseth has four straight top tens at Charlotte.

2) Kyle Busch -No wins but he hasn’t finished below 8th in the last seven Charlotte races. There is a risk level here though with the ongoing Joe Gibbs Racing engine drama. Will they last or will they blow?

3) Carl Edwards -In the two 1.5 mile tracks that NASCAR visited this year Edwards has walked away with finishes of first and third. Carl Edwards has been six Coca Cola 600 races and he has an impressive 8.33 average finish.

4) Jimmie Johnson -Sure he’s had problems in some recent Coke 600’s but don’t bet against him. He’s the leader in nearly every loop data category in the last twelve races.

5) Kasey Kahne -This team has been hot lately and Charlotte has always been friendly to this Red Bull driver. Kahne’s won every type of race there is at Charlotte. He’s won the All-Star race, the Coca Cola 600, and the fall night race. What makes Kahne so good at Charlotte is that he adjusts his driving style throughout the race.

Sleepers At Charlotte:

Jamie McMurray -He hasn’t made any noise so far this season but don’t forget he finished first and second last year.

David Reutimann -Previous “rain dance” winner who’s finished in the top fifteen four straight races at Charlotte. Also don’t forget he won at Chicagoland last year.

Brian Vickers -Stats lie sometimes but take my word for it he’s good here.

Odds To Win The Coca Cola 600 from TheSpread.com: Carl Edwards 5/1, Kyle Busch 5/1, Jimmie Johnson 7/1, Matt Kenseth 10/1, Denny Hamlin 12/1, Tony Stewart 12/1, Kevin Harvick 12/1, Greg Biffle 15/1, Jeff Gordon 15/1, Clint Bowyer 20/1

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Preview: Bank of America 500 from Charlotte

A total of four races have already been held on the three 1.5-mile cookie-cutter tracks with 24 degrees of corner banking, including the June event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Be sure to also include the results from Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway when making fantasy selections. While the wear on each of these tracks will cause the speeds to vary, the skills and setup required to succeed are similar.

Top 10 Drivers thus far on 1.5 mi x 24° tracks

	ATL1	TX1	CHR1	ATL2	AVG
Kurt Busch	1	4	1	6	3.0
Kyle Busch	25	3	3	5	9.0
Matt Kenseth	2	20	10	11	10.8
Ryan Newman	17	11	9	8	11.3
A.J. Allmendinger	6	13	14	18	12.8
Kasey Kahne	4	5	12	32	13.3
Jimmie Johnson	12	2	37	3	13.5
Kevin Harvick	9	7	11	33	15.0
Jeff Burton	20	12	25	4	15.3
Tony Stewart	13	32	15	1	15.3

 Chasing the pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway

1. Ryan Newman… Won two of the last three poles at Charlotte. Started second in September start at Atlanta.
2. Jimmie Johnson… Won two of the last four poles at Charlotte.
3. Kasey Kahne… Five qualifying efforts of sixth or better over the last six starts at Charlotte.

Here’s an explanation of the highlighted text in the rankings.  Download a printer-friendly version here.

    * Y! A/B/C - The top options in the Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing game by driver list.

1. Jimmie Johnson… Six-time winner (10/09, 05 sweep, 04 sweep, 5/03) at Charlotte, laps led in 17 straight starts. Y!-A1
2. Jeff Gordon… Five-time winner (10/07, 10/99, 5/98, 5/97, 5/94) at Charlotte, finished of eighth or better five of the last six starts. Y!-A2
3. Kyle Busch… Six straight finishes of eighth or better at Charlotte, laps led in five. Y!-A3
4. Kurt Busch… Won 5/10 race at Charlotte, led 252 of 400 laps. Average running position of 13th or better in seven straight starts. Y!-A4
5. Kasey Kahne… Three-time winner (5/08, 06 sweep) at Charlotte, average running position of fifth in three of the last five starts. Y!-B1
6. Tony Stewart… Won 10/03 race at Charlotte, average running position of 14th or better in five straight, no Top 10s since 07.
7. Clint Bowyer… Average running position of eighth or better in three of the last four starts at Charlotte. Y!-B2
8. Kevin Harvick… Finished 11th in May start at Charlotte, best finish since 10/03. Y!-B3
9. Ryan Newman… Three straight finishes of 11th or better at Charlotte. Y!-B4
10. Jeff Burton… Three-time winner (10/08, 5/01, 5/99) at Charlotte. Average running position of ninth in May start, finished 25th. Y!-B5
11. Denny Hamlin… Only three Top 10s in 10 career starts at Charlotte, 18.5 average finish.
12. Mark Martin… Four-time winner (5/02, 10/98, 10/95, 10/92) at Charlotte, has never held an average running position worse than 15th.
13. Matt Kenseth… Won 5/00 race at Charlotte, four Top 10s in the last five starts. Y!-B6
14. Carl Edwards… Only one Top 10 in the last four starts at Charlotte. Average finish of 13.2 in 11 career starts.
15. Greg Biffle… Average running position of 15th or 17th in the last three starts at Charlotte.
16. David Reutimann… Won 5/09 race at Charlotte, finished fifth in May start with career-best average running position of fourth, 99.8 percent of laps in the Top 15. Y!-B7
17. Joey Logano… Average running position of 13th or better in all three career starts at Charlotte. Y!-B8
18. Jamie McMurray… Won 10/02 race at Charlotte. Runner-up in May start, average running position of seventh, 94.5 percent of laps in the Top 15.
19. Paul Menard… Finished a career-best eighth in May start Charlotte, average running position of 12th. Y!-C1
20. A.J. Allmendinger… Finished a career-best 14th in May start at Charlotte. Y!-C2
21. Brad Keselowski… Average finish of 16.0 in two career Cup starts at Charlotte.
22. Juan Pablo Montoya… Only one Top 10 in seven career starts at Charlotte, 30.0 average finish.
23. Martin Truex Jr…. Average running position of 18th or better in seven straight starts at Charlotte, only one Top 10.
24. Dale Earnhardt Jr…. Average running position of 20th or worse in four straight starts at Charlotte.
25. Sam Hornish Jr…. Average finish of 21.6 in five career starts at Charlotte. Y!-C3
26. David Ragan… Average finish of 23.9 in seven career starts at Charlotte.
27. Elliott Sadler… Average finish of 25.4 in 24 career starts at Charlotte.
28. Bill Elliott… Two-time winner (10/87, 10/84) at Charlotte, average finish of 28.0 in the last two starts. Y!-C4
29. Reed Sorenson… Average finish of 21.6 in eight career starts at Charlotte.
30. Regan Smith… Finished 22nd in May start at Charlotte, average running position of 22nd.
31. Scott Speed… Average finish of 25.3 in three career starts at Charlotte.
32. Marcos Ambrose… Average finish of 28.0 in three career starts at Charlotte.
33. Casey Mears… Won 5/07 race at Charlotte, four finishes of 29th or worse in the six starts since.
34. Travis Kvapil… Average finish of 26.7 in seven career starts at Charlotte.
35. Dave Blaney… Average finish of 25.2 in 20 career starts at Charlotte.
36. Robby Gordon… Average finish of 28.2 in 20 career starts at Charlotte.
37. David Gilliland… Average finish of 29.5 in eight career starts at Charlotte.
38. Kevin Conway… Finished 35th in May start at Charlotte.
39. Patrick Carpentier… DNQ last week.
40. Bobby Labonte… Possible start and park. Two-time winner (10/00, 5/95) at Charlotte, finished 31st in the last two starts.
41. Joe Nemechek… Likely start and park.
42. Michael McDowell… Likely start and park.
43. Andy Lally… Likely start and park.
44. Landon Cassill… Likely start and park.
45. J.J. Yeley… Likely start and park.
46. Jason Leffler… Likely start and park.
47. Jeff Green… Likely start and park.
48. Johnny Sauter… Likely start and park.
49. Scott Riggs… Likely start and park.
50. Mike Bliss… Likely start and park. Two straight DNQs.
51. Brian Keselowski… Two DNQs this season.

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Darkhorse Picks: 2010 Bank of America 500

The On Pit Row fantasy racing experts opinions of the best Sprint Cup driver currently outside the top 12 in Sprint Cup Series points, for this weekends race.

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
Matt Mercer	On Pit Row	Juan Pablo Montoya	11	14.81
James Jones	On Pit Row	Kasey Kahne	38	13.16
Josh Lobdell	FFToolbox	Joey Logano	7	19.16
Dennis Mickelson	RaceTalkRadio.com	Jamie McMurray	1	10.00
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Mark Martin	14	15.39
Jerry LaggerEric McGuire	One and Done Game WinnerFree agent	Mark Martin Mark Martin	1414	13.8713.74
Charlie Turner	On Pit Row	Kasey Kahne	38	14.81
Tall Glass of Milk	Answerthis.com	Mark Martin	14	10.48
Adam Ansell	Roto Experts	David Reutimann	9	13.84
Charles Rantz	ifantasyrace.com	Joey Logano	7	12.77
Darren Fauth	Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet	Kasey Kahne	38	14.90
Lou Lauer	USAR Fans	Kasey Kahne	38	15.16
Ryan Rantz	On Pit Row	Kasey Kahne	38	15.84
Eric McClung	On Pit Row	Kasey Kahne	38	18.23
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Ryan Newman	36	14.26
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Juan Pablo Montoya	11	15.52
Chris Leone	On Pit Row	Joey Logano	7	18.39
Dan Beaver	Fantasy Racing Games	Ryan Newman	36	12.35

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Experts Picks: Bank of America 500 at Charlotte

Expert	Website	Pick to Win	Finish	Experts Avg
Josh Lobdell	FFToolbox	Jimmie Johnson	3	15.00
Jerry Lagger	One and Done Game Winner	Jimmie Johnson	3	10.68
Dennis Michelsen	RaceTalkRadio.com	Jimmie Johnson	3	10.68
Tall Glass of Milk	Answerthis.com	Carl Edwards	12	12.26
Eric McClung	On Pit Row	Jimmie Johnson	3	13.19
Eric McGuire	free agent	Jimmie Johnson	3	10.90
Dan Beaver	Fantasy Racing Games	Kyle Busch	2	10.68
Matt Mercer	On Pit Row	Jeff Gordon	23	13.71
Adam Ansell	Roto Experts	Kurt Busch	30	14.55
Chris Leone	On Pit Row	Jimmie Johnson	3	11.23
Bob Ellis	NASCAR Ranting and Raving	Jimmie Johnson	3	9.55
CharlieTurner	On Pit Row	Jimmie Johnson	3	14.84
Lou Lauer	USAR Fans	Jimmie Johnson	3	12.39
Jon Rodgers	Gillette Young Guns Challenge Winner	Kyle Busch	2	12.90
James Jones	On Pit Row	Kurt Busch	30	14.06
Ryan Rantz	On Pit Row	Kyle Busch	3	11.45
Darren Fauth	Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet	Kurt Busch	30	12.61
P J Walsh	FantasyNASCARPreview.com	Tony Stewart	21	12.10
Charles Rantz	ifantasyrace.com	Kasey Kahne	38	15.77

Contender or Pretender: Charlotte 2

Jimmie Johnson (Contender) - This track isn’t called Lowes anymore but this is still Jimmie Johnson’s house. Johnson is the defending champion of this race and in the last five years he’s only finished outside the top thirteen once, and that was because of a blown motor. You also can’t count out his Chase performance intangible that he brings to the table every week.

Juan Pablo Montoya (Pretender) - Montoya is a very good racer, but bad things happen to him all to often. At Charlotte Montoya needs to find a four-leaf clover or something because this track has been particularly rough on him. In seven starts Montoya has only finished inside the top ten once. The bigger problem is that his next best finish is 28th.

Kyle Busch (Contender) - His championship hopes are now over so look for Kyle to do two things in the remaining races.

1. Win
2. Wreck Reutimann, it’s not over. The new Kyle Busch talk is a scam.

In the last four Charlotte races Kyle Busch has been phenomenal. He has the best average finish (5.3) and he has the best average running position (7.3) in the series. I expect Kyle to start racing even more aggressively every week because wins are now this teams only goal.

Denny Hamlin (Pretender) - It’s hard for me to take Denny’s championship hopes seriously when Jimmie Johnson is beating him week after week. At Charlotte Motor Speedway Denny Hamlin’s best finish is his first finish (8th in 2005). His last top ten at Charlotte was back in 2007 and that was a ninth place finish. Since then his average finish is 22.2 and this number isn’t DNF skewed (only one over this time period).

Kurt Busch (Contender) - Kurt Busch won the Coca Cola 600 and the All-Star race at Charlotte earlier this year. He’s also been extremely strong all season long on similar tracks (Atlanta, Charlotte and Texas). Between Atlanta, Charlotte and Texas the worst Busch has finished on any of these tracks this season is sixth, and his average finish is 3rd.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Pretender) -Maybe this is cherry picking a little (OK a lot), but I have all the confidence in the world Junior will go up to the high line early and knock the wall down. His average finish in the last four Charlotte races is 34th.

NASCAR Fantasy Tool 2009 Average Finish at Atlanta, Texas and Charlotte [24 degree, 1.5 mile quad-ovals]

This table show the average finish of 35 drivers in the eight races at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway (Formerly Lowe’s Motor Speedway) during the 2009 season. All of these tracks are 1.5 mile long and feature 24 degree corner backing.

	ATL 1	TX 1	CHA 1	ATL 2	CHA 2	TX 2	AVERAGE
Jeff Gordon	2	1	14	8	4	13	7.0
Matt Kenseth	12	5	10	12	2	3	7.3
Tony Stewart	8	4	19	11	13	6	10.2
Kasey Kahne	7	19	7	1	3	33	11.7
Ryan Newman	22	15	2	9	11	12	11.8
Kyle Busch	18	18	6	13	8	11	12.3
David Reutimann	32	11	1	4	15	16	13.2
Mark Martin	31	6	17	5	17	4	13.3
Denny Hamlin	13	12	11	6	42	2	14.3
Greg Biffle	34	3	20	10	16	8	15.2
Kurt Busch	1	8	34	38	10	1	15.3
Brian Vickers	5	16	5	7	34	26	15.5
Kevin Harvick	4	27	41	2	18	5	16.2
Jimmie Johnson	9	2	13	36	1	38	16.5
Jeff Burton	14	9	25	34	14	9	17.5
Clint Bowyer	6	22	36	29	6	7	17.7
Martin Truex Jr.	10	25	23	26	9	14	17.8
Joey Logano	30	30	9	22	5	19	19.2
Juan Pablo Montoya	27	7	8	3	35	37	19.5
Casey Mears	16	21	33	25	7	21	20.5
Carl Edwards	3	10	4	37	39	39	22.0
AJ Allmendinger	17	34	32	20	23	10	22.7
Brad Keselowski		23			12	35	23.3
Paul Menard	28	13	29	15	27	29	23.5
Robby Gordon	26	39	3	16	30	27	23.5
Scott Speed	35		18	24	28	18	24.6
David Ragan	19	37	24	33	20	17	25.0
Dale Earnhardt Jr.	11	20	40	17	38	25	25.2
Elliot Sadler	20	32	31	21	26	22	25.3
Jamie McMurray	15	38	21	28	33	20	25.8
Bill Elliott	36	28	15	19	29	34	26.8
Marcos Ambrose	38	41	26	23	22	15	27.5
Bobby Labonte	40	40	12	18	31	31	28.7
Sam Hornish Jr.	37	17	16	35	40	40	30.8
Regan Smith		31				32	31.5

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